adj.
- Of high cost or worth; valuable.
- Highly esteemed; cherished.
- Dear; beloved.
- Affectedly dainty or overrefined: precious mannerisms.
- Informal. Thoroughgoing; unmitigated: a precious mess.
One who is dear or beloved; a darling.
adv.
Used as an intensive: "He had precious little right to complain" (James Agee).
[Middle English, from Old French precios, from Latin pretiōsus, from pretium, price.]
preciously pre'cious·ly adv.preciousness pre'cious·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.